It's impressive news. Two women – Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver – overcame seemingly overwhelming odds to pass the Army's Ranger School, at Fort Benning, Georgia. It's a daunting feat for any soldier, but for female soldiers, it's also a milestone: until this year, they weren't even allowed to attempt the leadership course.

Getting a college education increases a person's income earning potential. In 2013, Americans whose households made over $108,650 in 2012 were more than eight times more likely to have graduated from a bachelor’s-degree program than Americans whose households made less than $34,160. Go back to 1970, and the higher-income group was five times more likely to have earned a bachelor's degree. The trend indicates that a college education has become more and more important to financial health and success. The problem is that the high cost of education makes finishing a bachelor's degree much harder for the nation's poorest students.